Sign.



S. G. KEENE.

SIGN.

APPL'IOATION FILED APR. 7, 1909.

949,578.. Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. G. KEENE.

SIGN.

APPLICATION IILEI) APR. 7, 1909. 949,57, Patented Feb. 15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TTD BAEB PATENT @FFTQE.

SAMUEL C. KEENE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

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seams.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL 0.1;EENE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Signs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in signs especially adapted for window advertising and it has for its object to provide a frame in which the letters or other characters may be readily mounted and changed as desired.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be now described and the particular features of novelty pointed out in the ap pended claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the inventionFigure 1 is a perspective View of the sign constructed according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view looking toward the inside of one of the sides of the frame, a carrier for the letter being shown in section; Fig. 3 is a top view of one of the carriers partly broken away, the side of the frame in section; Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a letter; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the letter bars or carriers partly broken away; Fig. 6 is a detail view showing the jointing at the ends of the frame sections.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

Referring to the drawings, the frame is preferably rectangular and consists of the top and bottom sections A-A and side sections B-B' of any suitable material, but preferably wood. As shown, the side sections BB near each end are formed with a shoulder b, which fits upon the ends of the top and bottom sections AA,the parts being united by means of screws b as will be readily understood. By such construction the frame may be readily taken apart for storage or transportation, and be set up quickly, requiring no particular skill on the part of the user for this purpose. The

ame may be provided with eyes 0 by means of which it may be suspended. The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 7, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 488,429.

side sections BB of the frame are each rabbeted as at 6 and in this rabbeted portion are mounted the supports for the bars or carriers for the letters. As shown, these supports take the form of right angle hooks b, which are arranged in a vertical row and suitably spaced apart, see Fig. 1. The bars or carriers for the letters rest at each end upon these hooks, as shown clearly in the drawings. In the present embodiment these carriers C consist of metal strips bent into substantially ltform, by which construction an unobstructed channel or recess is obtained for the reception of the letters D extending the length of the carrier. By this means a single support sufficesfor a line of characters.

Ordinarily, the letters would be held firmly within the channel of the strip or bar and be kept in proper position, but to avoid any possibility of the letters slipping or falling over, a spring metal strip 0 is secured to one wall of the channel extending the entire length thereof and this strip is preferably corrugated, as shown, the letters D being each provided or formed with an extension or neck d, also preferably fluted or corrugated. By such a construe-r tion, the neck d can be readily inserted within the channel in the carrier, and then by a slight sidewise movement be locked firmly in place, due to the cooperation of the corrugations on the neck d of the letters and in the strip 0, as will be readily understood.

The distance between the hooks b is slightly less than the width of the bars or carriers C, so that in order to remove or position the carriers a slight tilting of the bar is necessary. By this arrangement the letters may be removed from the carriers without removing the bars from the frame without danger of the bars being lifted ofi the hooks.

In order to conceal the hooks b so that the frame may have a neat appearance, the side sections B-B of the frame are provided with hinged strips B which may be closed as shown at the left in Fig. 1, the top and bottom sections of the frame being cut away as at b to receive the strip B This hinged strip B may, ifdesired, be provided with a series of pins 6 so positioned as to extend over the top of the bars or carriers C when the strip is closed, as shown in Fig. 2; thus still further insuring the keeping of the bars in place, as will be understood.

By this construction, signs may be readily made up or changed without requiring special skill, and in the case of window advertising little light is obstructed.

While the frame is especially adapted for window advertising, it is also well adapted for interior advertising in general, and may be used for educational purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a device such as described, the combination with a holder, of an integral U- shape metal strip carried by said holder,

' letters or characters each having a single tab or extension adapted to be inserted and means for locking said characters in the strip at any desired point. 7

2. In a device such as described, the combination with the frame, of a single, integral carrier "for the letters having a chan nel or recess extending theentire length of the carrier, a spring strip within said channel, and letters or characters formed with extensions adapted to fit in the channel of the carrier and against which the spring strip bears, whereby each letter or character will be held in position, substantially as described.

3. In a device such as described, the combination with the frame, of the U-shape metal carrier, the corrugated metal strip within the channel of said bar, and the letters or characters having corrugated extensions adapted to cooperate with the corrugations on the strip, whereby said letters will be locked in position, substantially as described.

4. In a. device such as described, the comchannel bars rest, letters or characters adapted to be removably mounted in said bars, the distance between the hooks being less than the width of the bars, whereby the letters may be removed from the bars without removin substantially as escribed.

5. A letter or character for use in interchangeable signs formed with a corrugated holding extension.

SAMUEL C. KEENE.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH A. DWYER, SHERMAN H. CALDERWOOD.

the bars from the frame, 

